Machine for setting projectile fuses



April 9, 1935. A. GIETMANN MACHINE FOR SETTING RROJECTILE FUSES Filed Dec. 26, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. GIETMANN MACHINE FOR SETTING FROJECTILE FUSES April 9, 1935.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 26, 1933 Patented Apr. 9, 1935 UNITED STATES 1,997,51i6 j I MAOHINE'FOR SETTING momenta-rests Anton" Gietmann, Dusseldorf, Germany, assignbr to; Rheinische Metallwaarenund- Masch'inenfabrik,-- DIISSBIdOIfrDBl'CHdOIf; Germany, a corporation of Germany Application neeember 26,193Sfi51 Noi miflis In Germany January 11, 1333 With modern automatic fuse setting machines having two rotatable setting member's independent of each other, for the timing process one settingmember', generally the lower onefis te'm- 5 porarily coupled with 'a rotating'driving device,

and is thereby set temporarily in operation; This connection is initiated by a projectile being inserted in the setting socket and effected by means oficoupling members, forexample a coupling disc adapted to turn on a quick-pitch screw thread. The coupling is disengaged by means of' bolt members which engage in the lower setting member after the necessary timing roman, which members, also, by releasing an'optical'or acoustic signal device, immediately signal the completion of the timing, and, if necessary; atthe same time actuate a locking device for'prev'enting axial movement of the, projectile in the setting socket;

In a known arrangementforobtaining such a signal, the control of a visual signal is made de= pendent on the up and down movement of the bolting device'for locking the lower setting mer'n-- ber whenthe timing operation'is completed.- a In" this case the signal indicating the completion of the timing is made when the bolting device reaches its highest position. On' the downward movement of the latter no matter to what extent, the signal disappears and again reappears when the bolting device reaches its highest position corresponding to the locked position ofthe setting member. False timing indications are given when the projectile, on being inserted, does not sink into the setting socket as far as the lower position in the setting socket'in-which posetting noses are not pressed sufiiciently far outwards by the sinking projectile. These lugs'are' located close to the periphery of the projectile a little below the respective notches intended t'o' receive them; and prevent the projectile from sinking into the position necessary for the time setting of the fuse.

of the inserted projectile'effects the release for rotation of the setting member and theeng'agement of the coupling device, thefact that the setting lugs have not been projected sufficiently 1 allows a partial and immediate upward movementof the nose-securing ring" which is"ini-' tially depressed by the inserted projectile. The bolting device thereby is released for engaging in the lower socket member directly at the"be- I ginningof the setting operation" and springs'into dice'jt'es' a completed-- process) indicates theiaulty setting of thfusZ Then, although the weight allduring the first ana in msease 'only revolu;

tion. In such a cas ssi'g'na device theniniming t ereti n alt align the fuse-of theprojectile" has not en seeer has been incorrectly set.

' In'coiitrast{with'theabove, in the amineie fuse setting machine" according to the present invention a signal devic'" is actuated independence on the depthfot insertion'ofthe projectile in. the setting secret, the signal blfi," given either when the machine is empty and ce'asing when the projectile reaches a depth 'in the '"settin'g socket which ensures correct operation of the uni-he inean'sjor which i is given only-whentli proj tile has reached'thecori'ect depth arid" does not oc'qurat othertithes."

For this urpose, thereis insert 6. in the bail tIOl" device of the si glial a locking device which} according-tothedepthbf the project'ilejfin the setting socket; is either disengaged so me re signal comes into operation; or remains engaged and pr'even'tsthe-disappearaneeor appearance or the-signal? The persistance'br 'the-non-app'e a'n'cie of thevisual signal*(atthe end of-the mm" g Tw'otypical embodiments 'of th'e invention a.re illustrated =by-' the accompanyihgdrawings in" Whicli"- i Fi'gsl'l and 2 refer-to thejcase-whe becomes visible when them'achine empty, which; signalgin ceitain-circums'tances disappearswhen the prdj ectile is insert'ed and" reappears after the: fuse has been; timed; and m wmch Fig-i i 15: 5; 19i g'itud'inal sectionar viewer themaemne and Fig;

a signer 2 is a -crb'ss-sectiori' ofafportion 'thereofl@d Figsi3 to 6 're'fer td th case-"whe v becom'e'svisib1e omy -when merges a qfi eei; timed-projectile; in the setting socket andrdisi V pears again when-the projectile removed?an m which-these fig'uresare sect A i I v A is r the upper setting socket -member th' jiis'tment'jo vvh'icIYdeteTminES the time-"f ofthe fuse "and-B le thelowersocketimmbr which effects the" time setting and which ro:

vided "with a spring pressed pjun' amg: setting no'se b; r

o denotes the driving memb r which is keptirr continuous rotation Acouplin'gldisc; Dis mount-* i ed on the hub ofthe socket member B' SO' asto' be capable of both" rotation and aXiaYdiSpIacenie iit. When a projectile is' inserted in the'setting socketf the -piston is depressed by' theweigh't of the projectile, and by means of thepawl'ki carriesthe springs f and is moved by the coupling disc D through the rods e, 61.. The said ring E onlits downward and upward movement actuates -a locking member '0 and also a' visual signal mem-" ber Z, a tongue 2 which rests on the control ring E and is pivoted about a spindle w being swung: upwards and downwards, this swinging m'ove-' ment of the tongue .2 being communicated by way of the mechanism tgtl to the visual signal member Z.

The visual signal member Z is thus displaced from view on the insertion of a projectile, and when the timing operation has been completed is swung back and again becomes visible. The device so far is already known. g

Now, in order to cause the control of the visual signal to become dependent upon the depth of the projectile in the settingsocket, there is arranged in the lower socket member B a pawl b1 adapted to be displaced transversely against the action of a spring h; the said pawl-as shown in Fig. ,2engages on the one hand in a notch ea in the rod er of the control ring E, and on the other hand by means of an inclined surface b2 projecting in the path of the piston 7c co-operates with an inclined surface k1 on the piston 7c. When a projectile isplaced suificiently deeply into the setting socket, the pistonJc moves downwards and presses the pawl b1 outwards against the infiuence of the spring f1, whereby the pawl is pressed out of the notch ea in the rod e1, and this rod isdisengaged. Not until this is it possible for the control ring E to move downwards and swing the visiblesignal member Z out of sight.

. The pawl b1 is disposed so low in the socket member B that the piston It does not release the pawl from the rod er and so release the control ring E until it has moved into its lowest end position. V a a I V In this position theadjusting noses of the respectivesetting members (e. g.-the spring loaded nose b of the "lower socket member B) are at such a level in respect of the notches the projectile and the timing ring that they are sure to engage in the notches andtime the fuse correctly. If the projectile has not been inserted into the setting socket to such a depth that this position of the piston I1; is obtained, the control ring E remains fixed and the visual signal member remains visibleinthenormal position. It does not disappear and that is an indication to the gunner that the fuse has not been or is not timed, If, however, the projectile has been in serted; correctly and, therefore, the fuse has been correctly timed, the control ring E, unchecked by the pawl 121 which remains disengaged, will move upwards with the coupling disc D, and the visual and/or the loading-gunner, in order that the socket. The; visual signal when the projectile is removed from the setting non-occurrence of a temporary disappearance, of the visual signal in the event of a projectile not being inserted sufliciently deeply, should not be overlooked and the signal which is visible taken to be a reappearance thereof after timing has taken place.

Such apossibility of error is precluded in the second example of construction according to Figs. 3-6, in which the visual signal is likewise actuated in dependence on the depth of the projectile in the setting socket, but so that it appears only" at'the moment and so long as a projectile is correctly inserted in the setting disappears again socket. According tothis form of construction (Figs.

' 3 and 4), between the spring loaded control ring (ringE of Fig. 1) and the coupling disc D there is inserted only one rod, namely a two-part rod e2. When the projectile has reached the correct depth in the, setting socket, there is thrust transversely into the joint between the two parts and before the end of the timing operation a spring loaded bolt 7 so that the normally invisible signal, at, the conclusion of the timing operation is swung into'view by means of .the controlring of the. coupling disc D which'rises again. This, however, .does not occur when the projectile has not reached "a sufficient depthin the setting socket. The bolt? is arranged ver-e tically displaceable in a horizontally displaceable plunger 11, which is guided between vertical. guides n1 formed in .a member 12 on the lower socket member B and which has a cylindrical-shank 12 which slides in a bush 1'; mounted in a cylindrical boring m in the sleeve 11. A vertical pin 14' fixed firmly: in the shank 1'2 passes through longitudinal slots in the bush T3 and projects into longitudinal recesses in the member 12 so that the bush 12:, when the plunger n is held firm, is capable of longitudinal displace-: ment'in relation thereto, and the plunger 11 is also capable of movement relatively to the member 11.. On the bush r3. there is thrust a second bush r5 which is adapted to be turned in an enlarged portion m of the boring m of the member 11.. In thebush r3 there is fixed a pin 7'6 which .on one side projects beyond the outer surface of the bush 1: and is guided in an inclined slot n of the bush 15. A spring T8" mounted inside the bush 1'3 bears with one end against the pin. r6 and the other end on the endof the cylindrical shank T2 of the plunger 1'1; The outer end surface of the bush r5 is provided'with a crank arm T8 which by means of a crank pin 19 projects into the forked head'kz of a bolt k: fixed to. thepiston k, which bolt on the'downward and upward movement of the pistonk, that is on insertion and removal of a projectile, turns the bush T5. The crank arm 18 is provided with a projection m, Fig. 5. In the mem- V ber-n there is mounted on a .spindle w carried therein at one end a latch 101, which projects in the path of rotary movement of the projection T9, and at the other end a lever wz (Fig. 6) which, in order to bolt the push bolt 1', is disposed behind a notch in the pin 1'4 and is held in position by means of a leaf spring wa.

Where there is no projectile in the setting socket and the piston It assumes its highest position in the setting socket, the bolt r is locked and lies in a withdrawnposition at the side'of the two-part rod 22, as shown in Fig. 3. The control ring E (Fig. 1) has consequently under the pressure of the spring f (Fig. 1) assumed its low position, in which the locking bolt 1) (Fig. 1)

is released, the visual signal Z is swung downas the lever wz prevents axial motion.

After the projectile has been inserted, the coupling disc D moves downwards and the lower 'part of the two-part rod 62 follows this movement leaving a gap between it and the upper part. Shortly before the plunger k has reached its lowest position, the projection T9 of the crank arm Ts comes into contact with the lever w 10+ cated in its path and swings the lever 202 out of the notch in the pin T4; The plunger head n 'is now released and is pressed outwards by the now expanding spring r8 while at the same time the bolt r is thrust into the space between the individual members of the rod e2. This disengagement and efiect of the bolt 1', however, does not occur until the projectile has assumed such a depth in the setting socket that the engagement of the noses in the setting member in the notches in the fuse and the projectile and consequently the correct timing is ensured. When, after the completion of the timing operation, the coupling disc D rises, as the rod e; in consequence of the interposition of the bolt 1' thrust between, is sufiiciently long, the control ring E is also raised and the visual signal Z swings into sight, thus indicating that the timing has been completed correctly. On the upward movement of the rod ea or the parts thereof, the bolt r is moved parallel to the axis of the projectile, that is vertically in the plunger 11. A subsequent removal of the projectile from the setting socket and the consequent upward movement of the piston is allows the bush 1'5 to turn backwards in the member n. The result is that the bush rs together with the plunger 11, the bolt 1" and the pin m is withdrawn in the member 11. and'the plunger 11 is locked in this position by means of the lever wz. The returning bolt 1 frees the space between the parts of the rod es and the control ring E (Fig. l) is consequently lowered by the action of its spring 1, so that the visual signal Z disappears again from view and the initial state is obtained. Thus the visual signal appears only when the projectile has been correctly timed and remains visible only as long as a correctly set projectile is in the setting socket.

If the projectile is not inserted sufiiciently deep into the setting socket and, therefore, the bush T5 is not turned sufficiently to cause the projection T9 to act on the lever we, the bolt 1 remains in its locked or withdrawnposition.

If then the coupling disc D' is raised after the timing operation has been completed, although the lower part of the two-part rod :22 is raised, it remains inoperative on the upper part as the intermediate member, the push bolt r not being added. The control ring E is, therefore, not raised and the display signal Z remains invisible in its downwardly swung position and its absence indicates a'faulty setting of the fuse.

It will be apparent that in place of the actuating member Z the mechanism described can easily be employed to actuate other indicating means,

for instance to open and close electric circuits,

or to operate visual or acousticsignal devices.

1. A machine for setting projectile fuses comprising a projectile socket having upper and lower setting members capable of'rotation relatively to each other, means on the lower socket member for engaging the fuse, drive means for the lower member, a coupling member movable upon insertion of a projectile into the socket to connect the drive means to said lower member, an indicator, actuating connections between the coupling and the indicator, a device normally looking one of said connections, and means operated upon insertion of theprojectile into the socket to the proper depth for the fuse setting operation to render the locking device inoperative.

2. A machine for setting projectile fuses com-- prising a projectile socket having upper and. lower setting members capable of rotation relatively to each other, means on the lower socket member for engaging the fuse,.drive means for the lower member, a coupling member movable upon insertion of a projectile into the socket to connect the drive means to said lower member,

an indicator, means for actuating the indicator from the coupling member comprisinga discontinuous normally inoperative transmission, and

; a member capable of being inserted into said means for actuating the indicator in one direc- 7 tion against the action of a restoring spring, a rod through which said actuating means is moved by the coupling member, a lock normally preventing movement of the rod, and a plunger movable in the fuse setting socket upon insertion of a projectile thereinto, said plunger when the projectile has entered the socket to the proper depth for the fuse setting operation operating the lock to release said rod.

4. .A machine for setting projectile fuses comprising a projectile socket havingupper and lower setting members capable of rotation relatively to each other, means on the lower socket member for engaging the'fuse, drive means for U the lower member, a coupling member movable upon insertion of a projectile into the socket to connect the drive means to said lower member, an indicator, means'for actuating the indicator in one direction against the action of a restoring spring, a rod through which said actuating means is moved by the coupling member, said rod being 1 two parts and the combined length of which is insufficient to form an operative transmission member, a sliding bolt normally withdrawn from said rod and adapted when projected between the parts thereof to render it an operative transmission member, and a lever actuated by entrance of the projectile into the socket to the proper depth for the fuse setting operation, for so projecting the sliding bolt.

' ANTON GIETMANN. 

